King’s College London Open Week 12-16 March

Hi,

I have heard you place a high emphasis on GCSE grades. i wanted to know if that is true and if so, how much of an emphasis is it specifically for medicine. also, do you have precise GCSE requirements?

A) How important are GCSE's in the application stage for King's College London?

B) Is it expensive to live in London, have you all managed to source jobs and what sorts of things did you put on your portfolio - is their anything you encourage?

also how do your foreign language degree's work? Is it just a degree in French or do you study Law with french as a side option?

Hi KCl,
i have an offer to study biochemistry at king's this september and so i just wondered what sort of jobs are available after it? and do most people go on to do garduate courses after it?

Hi penguin1234!

Congratulations on your offer – fantastic news!

That’s a great question – it’s really important to know where a degree can take you after you’ve graduated, and it’s good to think about that even before you have started your programme. King’s has one of the highest rates of graduate employment of any UK university and we have links with many top employers – having 6 Medical Research Council Centres means that we are very well connected, especially in the heart of London.

We also have a whole webpage devoted to Career destinations for Biosciences graduates on our website here, so make sure you check it out: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/biohealth/study/careers.aspx

It’s also quite common for graduates to continue into Master’s level education, as it will ultimately enhance your employability by developing your research skills and specialist knowledge.

I hope that helps – but if you have any other questions we’d be happy to answer them for you!

Chris

Hi K.H,
Thanks for your message!

Getting from Waterloo station to the Strand is very easy. Walk straight across Waterloo Bridge, keep going until you get to prêt a manger on the corner and then turn right. Walk straight along and King’s is on your right hand side. It will take you about 15 minutes depending on how quickly you walk.

Near Waterloo campus there are a few shops, including a Sainsbury’s central and a Tesco express, there is a larger Marks and Spencer’s food as well if you want it. The larger Supermarkets tend to be slightly further out. There is a large Sainsbury’s in Vauxhall and two large Tesco’s, all of which are accessible by bus.

Finally, I’m sorry you are having so much trouble with accommodation! It can sometimes be a little tricky, but hopefully I can make it a little clearer.
With regards to medical your allergies you should complete the appropriate Medical Self Assessment or Personal Statement form and return it with current, relevant documentation. You can download the forms at www.kcl.ac.uk/accomm, or request them from the Accommodation Services. Your completed forms and relevant supporting documentation should be returned to Accommodation Services before allocations are undertaken as it may not be possible to reconsider an allocation on the basis of late notification. If you want more information on this form it may be worth contacting the accommodation office on +44 (0)20 7848 2759.

Your application will be verified at Accommodation Services and you will receive an acknowledgement letter, by email, once the application has been processed but due to high numbers of applications received, it may take up to 3 working weeks to process and verify an application. If you are concerned however, and would like to confirm receipt of your application, please telephone Accommodation Services who will then verify receipt or otherwise although the application may not have been fully processed at this point. Do make sure you also check my accommodation portal as this where you will be contacted with regards to all of the information.

I hope that helps,
Charlotte

Hi MsGmm1

Thanks for letting us know that you're enjoying the forum, glad its coming in useful!

So I've just checked this with the IoP and this is what they've said: The clinical placement starts in the second term, ie January, and most students continue through to July or August, depending on their own circumstances and in agreement with the clinical superviser.

Hope this helps!

Fran

I currently have an offer to study Dentistry for 2012 entry. I'd quite like to firm Kings, but first I'd like to know about life at Kings and in London in general before I make my decision.

I would appreciate it if you could answer the following questions or direct me to previous posts that answer my queries. Thanks in advance!

How expensive is living in London, both in terms of accommodation and general living costs in comparison to other cities in the UK?
What financial support is available once you are at Kings if you cannot afford basic everyday items or accommodation? (I understand a very unlikely situation, but still...)


I'd appreciate it also if I could get the opinion(s) from current student(s):
How have you found getting used to life in London - a very busy city?
In terms of finances, how have you found the relative cost of living in London compared to other cities or your previous home?

I have a question for you:

Why do the admin staff show attitude when dealing with queries over the phone? (esp the dentistry admin office)

Hi ()bracket()

I’m really sorry that you felt mistreated – normally King’s staff are very friendly and helpful, and we aim to answer queries as best we can. It may have been that it was at the end of an extremely busy day, or that the member of staff was a bit stressed – I am sure that we all feel under pressure every now and then - but there's no excuse to be rude to enquirers

Please accept our apologies - I’ll also pass your feedback on to the team.

Chris

Thank you for the help ! I'll try and navigate myself to Strands on saturday and I'm sure they'll provide me with plenty more information on accommodation and living. I've already done a reasonable amount of planning for budgeting etc.. Does £140-160 a month seem reasonable for food, bearing in mind I'm a weightlifter and basketball player who trains 4-5 times a week. ( and eat 5-6 times a day ) But I only eat out 1-2 times a month.. It's difficult to plan until you actually do it for yourself.

Also, from experience, have you got a realistic approximate monthly bill of everything included in living in London ?

And which accommodation do you reside at, any popular ones ?

Thanks again

Hi racheatworld,

I completely understand your reservations about London costs. I had similar worries before I moved here myself, but after 4 years of studying here I can honestly say that I could never imagine studying anywhere else.
I’m not going to lie to you and say that London is the cheapest place to live, but with student discounts and a bit of forward planning it’s not too expensive. Somethings in London are cheaper than they would be elsewhere, such as the bus which is £1.30 anywhere, and university is quite good at offering subsidised food and drink.

With regards to accommodation costs you can find the exact cost break down for Halls of Residence here: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/accom/fees/index.aspx. By second year most people move out of halls and into private flats with friends. These vary decisively in price; however I was, and I still am, paying about the same as I did in first year. I would recommend making sure that all bills are included in your rent, as it means it’s one less thing for you to think about and have to budget for! I have always used the London housing database which is only for students at University of London, which King’s is part of. More info here: http://housing.london.ac.uk/cms/

If you are really struggling for money at the end of the term King’s does have a hardship fund, but it really is only for extreme circumstances.

I am from Cramlington which is a smallish town in Northumberland so I was quite worried about coming to a big city aswell. I’d not really been to London before my first day at uni. I was amazed by the tube system and how much there was to do. I’ve loved every minute of it and London certainly feels like home.

In first year I always say in first year I existed in a sort of ‘university bubble’ and the rest of London didn’t exist. There is plenty to do just in our area of London and as King’s has such a community feel to it, I spent the year getting involved and feeling very at home. Now I am much more involved in London life in general. I think because you can be quite involved in university you are eased into the busyness of London and it’s not an issue.

I think we get the best of both worlds here. As we get a vibrant city and a uni with a community. I have friends who went to campus universities and after 3 years were so fed up of that same space. We don’t have that issue in London!
I hope this helps and answers all of your question. Let me know if I can answer any other questions,

Charlotte

Hi Yumnaarrhh,

Thanks for your question! You don't mention which programmes you're interested in so it makes it a bit harder to be precise with the answer. However if you are meeting the entry requirements for the programme in the end, you should be fine

Hope this helps!

Fran

Hi K.H,

No problem. I’m glad I could help.

The open day will be really useful, I’m sure. Make a list of questions you want answered before you go; otherwise you tend to forget in the heat of the moment (talking for experience)!

I can’t personally say whether your budget will be enough. I know it would be enough for me, but then I’m not a weight lifter or a basketball player by any stretch of the imagination! Maybe do an online Sainsbury’s or Tesco’s shop and see if you can get everything you want with your budget?

I lived at Brian Creamer Halls. I loved it. it was quite small, but I liked that as I got to know everyone and the location is fantastic. I will never be able to live the grounds of the archbishop of Cantebury’s palace again. Stamford Street and Great Dover Street tend to be the most popular, however I think that each hall has a different vibe to it, so it’s worthwhile doing your research and finding out which one will best suit you! You will find that Halls are a bit like College’s and everyone will say that there was the best!

Hope that has helps and don’t hesitate to ask any other questions.

Charlotte